Intentions
by The Cheshire Cheese
Summary: Janeway needs to know what Chakotay's intentions are with Seven. Because the last time he fell for a shipmate, his motives were a bit less than healthy. (One-shot, drabble. Warning: fic keeps to canon relationships.)


**A/N: This takes place shortly after "Endgame," but largely concerns the episode "Resolutions." (Don't get exciting, this ain't a J/C fic. Though I've nothing against J/C when it's written well…and doesn't involve Janeway trying to make first-contact with a lemur…)**

 **I don't own "Voyager."**

 **Oh, and as usual, this ficlett disregards relaunch novels.**

* * *

Kathryn Janeway had never cared much for home decorating, but she was surprised by how thrilled she was to be setting up her new abode in Ireland. Voyager had been home less than a month, and after staying with her sister while debating her options, Janeway had finally accepted the promotion to vice admiral, and purchased a house in Northern Ireland. She'd always dreamed of having a home out here. But how different this home's interior looked, compared to what she'd used to fantasize about. Her experience in the Delta Quadrant had added to her tastes a bit, as well as her inventory. The silk scarf the Sikharians had made for her seven years ago now served as a decorative cloth for a tiny table in one corner, where a framed photograph of Voyager's former senior staff sat next to a clay sculpture of the ship Seven had given once her. On the wall above the display was a framed mock-poster for _Captain Proton_ that Tom had given her one birthday, featuring Queen Arachnia.

Rough panting interrupted Janeway's thoughts, as Darcy padded over to sniff the objects she was unpacking. Janeway smiled, running her hand through the husky's gray fur. She'd also missed having a dog. Molly and her puppies had spent the last seven years living with Mark, and Janeway had told Mark and his family to keep them. It wouldn't have been right to expect Molly back, anymore than it would have been to expect Mark back.

The door chimed. Janeway stood, brushing dust off her casual red sweater, and went to answer. Chakotay stood before her, also dressed casually, holing a large coffee bag with a ribbon on it.

"Hope I'm not late," her old friend said. "I brought you a housewarming gift."

"Right on time," Janeway stepped aside, granting him entry.

They drank Chakotay's housewarming gift, a rare Columbian blend, while seated in her living room, against the wide window to the Irish countryside.

"I'd almost forgotten what real coffee, ground from real beans, tasted like," Janeway took a savoring sip.

"I'd almost forgotten what any Earth-animal was like, in the flesh," Chakotay said, scratching Darcy behind the ears. The dog settled her head into his lap, and he gingerly moved his cup away from her face.

"So," Janeway set down her mug. "You and Seven have both been offered teaching jobs at the Academy?"

"We have," Chakotay said proudly. "It's perfect for both of us. Earth is the best place for Seven to start integrating with her own species."

Janeway nodded in agreement. "Better for her to start with the warm community Earth offers than… Well, she'd probably face a lot more judgment for being a former Borg drone on some of the colonies." She frowned at her friend. "Speaking of colonies…I don't want to sound insensitive Chakotay, but…"

"My home's gone." Chakotay answered the question flatly before she even asked it. "The Cardassians withdrew from Dorvan V after the Dominion War, but it was scorched. My tribe's settled somewhere new. I might return to live with them someday, but right now I want to focus on my career. I didn't grow up wanting to be a Maquis, or stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and now that I have the chance, I just want to live the life I wanted. Enjoy myself."

Janeway nodded slowly. She lifted her mug for another long sip.

"Kathryn?"

Janeway breathed in deeply. "Chakotay, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Seven."

"How ever did you guess," she smiled, hoping to alleviate tension.

Chakotay shifted on the couch, the dog whimpering irritably in his lap. "Kathryn you… you're not, I mean…"

Janeway had to think for a few seconds to understand what he was trying to ask, in the meantime probably giving him that baffled, blinking expression she was told she often sported when bewildered. Then she figured it out. "No, Chakotay, I'm not jealous. If I wanted you I could've had you any time on Voyager." She quickly added, "No offense."

"None taken." He pursed his lips. "Then it's not me you're worried about. This is about Seven."

"Actually Chakotay, it _is_ you I'm worried about."

Chakotay's face contorted in bafflement.

Janeway paused, pressing a fist to her lips. "There's no delicate way for me to address this." He looked like he was bracing himself to be offended. "When we were on New Earth, you told me a story about an 'angry warrior.'"

Chakotay looked away for a second, then tugged his ear with embarrassment. "I thought we had a deal, Kathryn. I never mention the lizard-babies, and you never mention the 'angry warrior' story."

"Well since you've just broken the pact too, I'd say we're even." Janeway continued without humor. "I'll admit Chakotay, your story touched me at the time."

"I remember tears running down your face."

"I was under a lot of stress. I was missing Mark. I wanted to give in to my feelings, I missed the _feeling_ of being in love. But after dissecting my feelings, I realized that that was the only thing drawing me to you. I was still in love with Mark, but I was lonely. And so were you. I don't recall any part of your story where the Angry Warrior had anything in common with the Woman Warrior, or the Woman Warrior doing anything for him in return. He just 'found peace' through serving her. And frankly that disturbed me. It didn't sound like a healthy basis for a relationship."

"No," Chakotay agreed. "You're right, on all accounts. I was lonely, I was hurt from what Seska had done, I thought she was carrying my child, I wanted to forget. I wanted to leave my old life behind, all of it. New Earth, you, they felt like a free ticket out of…out of my life. I was being childish."

Janeway pursed her lips, and nodded. She wasn't ready to get sentimental just yet. "You've always been drawn to women who need 'rescuing' haven't you. Seska, a woman claiming to be from the most victimized species in the Alpha Quadrant. Riley, an escaped Borg drone, alone in the Detla Quadrant…"

Chakotay's lips parted, as he realized what she was implying. He began to speak but Janeway cut him off.

"Now Seven is an adult. For over two years now I've trusted her to be in charge of the Astrometrics unit, supervise children, attend staff meetings and if she so chose, leave Voyager. I'm not about to tell her who to date. But I'll be damned if I see one of my closest friends string along the woman who's become a surrogate daughter to me to just fulfill a fetish for rescuing women."

"Kathryn it's not like that!" Chakotay shook his head almost frantically. "I _know_ Se—" He stopped, chewed his lip. "After my date with Species 8472, I realized what the problem in all my relationships was: I never knew any of their true intentions. When Seven asked me to help her with her 'research on relationships,' it hit me; I know this woman's intentions. I distrusted Seven for years, _no one_ was more thorough at figuring out her intentions than I was. That was initially what drew me to Seven, that I could _trust_ her." He seemed to realize that the dog was sensing his agitation. Chakotay relaxed into the couch, and Darcy settled her head back into his lap. "I'll admit, I enjoy… _helping_ Seven. But it's so much more than that. She's more like me that I'd ever have imagined. For once the woman I'm with isn't bothered that I don't act 'emotional' enough. She understands what it's like to have a volcano of emotions no one ever sees. She's interested in my culture, my hobbies, my beliefs, more than anyone else ever was…no offense."

"None taken," Janeway's eyebrow crept up with amusement. "Our differing opinions on the spiritual always was a wall between us. Though I never expected Seven to take an interest in spirituality, or anthropology or the martial arts for that matter."

"She probably wouldn't have had she not been assimilated. Her parents were atheist bookworms."

For a moment the only sound was Darcy's heavy breathing, as Chakotay and Janeway relaxed from the tense conversion.

"Well," Janeway rubbed the back of her neck, "Now that that's settled… anything else new? What subjects are you and Seven going to be teaching? Anthropology and…?"

"I'm teaching anthropology and paleontology. Seven's teaching stellar cartography. Ichigo Sulu's sighed up for her class."

"Chakotay that's wonderful!" Janeway's immense relief about Chakotay's intentions towards Seven was probably adding gravity to her sincerity. "Well good luck with your relationship. You just keep treating Seven right, and if you don't… I suppose she'll just break your arm without any help from me."

"That's one of the many things I love about her."

* * *

 **A/N: I just saw "Resolutions" for the first time. It was bad. That's an understatement. "Resolutions" has actually surpassed "Virtuoso" as my most hated episode. And no, not because J/C isn't my preferred pairing; I've enjoyed plenty of well-written J/C fics, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Kristen Beyer handles J/C in her novels when I get to reading them. My problem is the way "Resolutions"** _ **handled**_ **the pairing, and everything else about it as an episode in and of itself.**

 **For an episode that supposedly "hints" at Janeway and Chakotay having feelings for each other, it instantly opens with them already acting like a married couple. Chakotay is** _ **obsessed**_ **with Janeway, not even mentioning his Maquis crew he's leaving behind, his family back home, the war he was fighting, or the fact that they'll never see another humanoid again except each other. And he isn't the only one out of character. Janeway's IQ drops to a single digit, as she attempts first contact with a lemur, and acts like she has never seen or heard of a thunderstorm before. Then there's Tuvok on a power trip,** _ **everyone**_ **but Janeway and Harry giving up pathetically early, Janeway bathing like she's expecting a horny pizza boy to arrive any minute... Ugh, Season 2.**

 **God in heaven, "Resolutions" felt like a bad J/C fanfic written by a drunk author who'd just watched "Madagascar." I really can't decide which OOC makes me angrier; Chakotay not giving a sh*t about anyone in his life except Janeway, or Janeway suddenly having the IQ of a kindergartener who just spent an entire school day huffing glue.**

 **And like I said, J/C is** _ **fine**_ **; this is just not the way to do it. In my opinion, "Resolutions" is to J/C what "Natural Law" is to C/7; an episode that tries to set up a romance, but does so in the worst way possible. (Though at least Chak and Seven weren't so OOC in the latter.) If I was going to write a J/C story I could've done it better than that. And plenty of other writers have.**

 **But, I now understand why so many J/C fics have Janeway and Chakotay acting so out of character; they're simply writing them as they're portrayed in that episode.**

 **Anyway, go check out the web series "Star Trek: Renegades." I can't promise it'll be your cup of tea. But if you ever wanted a "Star Trek" series that isn't about a Starfleet crew, has another female captain, has a captain who isn't an average human, and see a bunch of real "Star Trek" actors reprising their roles, do look into it.**


End file.
